Nasa kamay natin ang pagbabago.

Elections are an integral part of any democracy, and voting is both an exercise of right and a moral obligation to participate in a very important decision-making process in a country. Elections signal not only a change in leadership but also a change in priorities and policy direction that will influence the path to development and good governance in the next several years. In other words, electing is not only choosing the next set of leaders but also choosing the future of our country.

Every election process presents an opportunity for change, for improvements in how the country addresses the needs and interests of its people and its development, for creating a path for a better future. Thus, change relies on the hands of the Filipino voter. And it is important that every voter should have meaningful criteria in choosing her/his next leader.

On May 9, 54.4 million Filipino voters will head to the polls to elect a total of 18,069 individuals who will fill in key positions in the government—from the President to city and municipal councilors.

PLCPD would like to take this opportunity to mainstream important human development issues into the national conversation during the election season and change in leadership. Along this line, PLCPD builds its electoral campaign called “iChange: Vote for Change.”

During the campaign season leading to the elections, PLCPD will be concentrating its efforts to promote among Filipino voters specific human development issues in the area of reproductive health, children’s rights, food and nutrition security, and adequate housing in disaster response towards resilient communities. Promoting these issues among both candidates and voters is important in order that these become part of voters’ criteria for selecting our future leaders and in the hope of influencing candidates’ platforms of government. Specifically, PLCPD aims to:
– raise public awareness on priority development issues to shape voters’ criteria in choosing candidates to vote for;
– develop policy champions among candidates and influence them to take the pledge that they will champion these issues once they are elected; and
– build an issue-based alliance with advocates who will contribute in mainstreaming our agenda in the elections and in working towards policy reform in the 17th Congress.

PLCPD brings into this campaign its long experience in organizing high-impact public events and mobilizing civil society organizations and the media to promote human development.

Recognizing the power of social media to raise awareness and mobilize public support for progressive causes, PLCPD will utilize social media platforms to disseminate information and engage both candidates and voters. PLCPD will track candidates’ position and performance on top issues and post in social media to serve as guide for voters in making their electoral choices.

As part of this campaign, PLCPD and its network of partners and supporters will also host candidates’ forums and conduct press conferences that will highlight various issues in four themes: reproductive health, food and nutrition security, children’s rights, and climate resilience and adequate housing. These activities will provide venue for candidates to articulate their position on various issues and for voters to interact with candidates.

Schedule of activities